Jen and Mack's Wedding

 

    When it comes to planning a wedding, inspiration is everywhere. From Pinterest to wedding blogs, there are creative ideas to suit every couple for their big day. One of our recent couples, Jen and Mack, found several elements to fit their Midsummer Night's Dream inspired wedding. With a little help from family members and friends, they were able to create a romantic, inviting atmosphere for their nuptials at Hidden Valley. 

    Armed with lace and vibrantly colored floral arrangements, they truly made the property their own. Yards of cream colored fabric were hung on the wedding stage, summoning an image reminiscent of a Shakespearean sonnet. Richly colored roses in every shade adorned the stage and added a midsummer's eve element to the location of their vows.  

   After the ceremony, guests were guided to a gorgeous, white tent complete with draped fabric and lanterns covered in flowers. After the sun went down, this beautifully constructed area echoed an ethereal quality with dimly lit twinkle lights lining the perimeter. Details became more romantic and the space more intimate as they celebrated with their loved ones.  

  

                                            

    

Congratulations to Jen and Mack!

Bridal Bazaar in January

  It's that time of year again! Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa will be at the Bridal Bazaar on January 20th. Our friendly staff will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the property and all that we offer for your wedding day celebration!

  We look forward to meeting you there!

Bridal Bazaar
January 20, 2013
10am-4pm

San Diego Convention Center, Hall C
111 W. Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

Elizabeth and Tobin's Wedding

  Each wedding is special and unique at Hidden Valley. From caterers to decorations, couples embrace their creativity and create a wedding day that is representative of their love story.
 

We recently had the honor of hosting Elizabeth and Tobin's wedding. This duo incorporated DIY elements into every aspect of their big day and it looked flawless! A simple color palette and natural tones made for an elegant wedding that blended seamlessly with our outdoor venue. 

  Guests were escorted to Hippocrates Circle, our large oak-filled area that is popular for weddings. They walked through sage-colored curtains leading the wedding stage. Seating is the round here, but additional seats were brought in to accommodate more guests. Though the space is large and full of trees, it is very intimate and brought a closeness during the ceremony for the bride and groom. A wooden chuppah decorated with white flowers and vases of lavender framed the couple as they spoke their vows. 

After the ceremony, guests traveled to the wedding lawn where large tables were set up for the reception. The bride's father, a lighting designer, brought in yards of string lights and created a unique lighting design to highlight the reception area. A dance floor was brought in and placed on our DG area, making for a smooth and solid surface where guests could boogie down. Once night fell, it created a whimsical and
warm atmosphere for all attendees.

   Bouquets of lavender were placed at each table and were a prominent element from ceremony to reception. The purple was carried through to the signs direction guests and informing them of the celebration that was taking place. Menus and place cards echoed the purple hue in chevron patterns that added a bit of pizzazz to the natural surroundings. Lavender and moss colored succulents served as anchors for place
cards while vintage forks held up table numbers.

 We want to thank Elizabeth and Tobin (and their amazing vendors) for allowing us to host their beautiful wedding celebration!

Photos by: Jenna Kageyama, Flutterglass Photography

International Guests at Hidden Valley

   At Hidden Valley we have a wide variety of guests that come through our doors. A recent visit from an international group had guests coming from as far as Asia! The coordinators used the property to enhance the trip for their students and incorporated team building activities throughout the weekend. By being immersed in nature and surrounded by their peers, the students were able to relax and enjoy time away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

  Students were able to create skits and perform their works on the outdoor stage. They even summoned their inner Van Gogh and painted a memorable sign to celebrate the weekend. It was wonderful to see everyone bonding and coming together to have an unforgettable experience in California.

 Take a look at the group and their wonderful banner masterpiece!

A Midsummer's Eve Inspiration Shoot

 The beginning of fall just beckons for a romantic, rustic wedding...doesn't it? We're always interested in creating inspirational shoots for our prospective brides because it allows one to see the infinite possibilities at Hidden Valley. Originally, we wanted to create an inspiration shoot that conveyed a theme with bohemian accents, but when we met with our friends at The Bee and the Bobbin and Chris Wojdak Photography, we found a new theme for inspiration: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

  What better way to celebrate the transition from summer to autumn than with woodsy elements and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Rich color schemes, lush floral arrangements, and romantic lighting transformed our property into a landscape worthy of any Shakespearean sonnet. Fading sunlight set the trees aglow and enhanced the natural beauty of the surroundings. Every detail hearkened back to a time when woodland fairies and young love ruled the world.

  Take a look at the amazing work of all of our vendors and see the entire gallery on Style Me Pretty's Little Black book blog!

Venue: Hidden Valley Retreat and Spa 
Photography: Chris Wojdak Photography 
Concept, florals, and event styling: The Bee and the Bobbin
Linen: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental
Rentals: Pow Wow 
Cakes: Cake Ball Love 
Dress: Lovey by Isha 
Paper: Paper Scissors Print 
Bride’s Jewelry: Mimi & Lu

Ana & Gina's Wedding

 Every once in a while we come across a couple that exudes love in every sense of the word. Ana and Gina are two people who not only deeply love one another, but perfectly complement the other in every way.

  As a couple planning a wedding from a distance, certain aspects can seem insurmountable. However, Ana and Gina knew exactly how to incorporate their DIY vision throughout the property.

 They incorporated unique elements into every aspect of their wedding day through the use of bright colors and festive decorations. Paper lanterns and giant tissue paper flowers adorned the wedding stage as well as the reception space in the event center.

 Handmade fans had the program printed on one side and their engagement photo on the other. Nestled among the seats were parasols that guests could use if the midday sun became too hot. Both ideas helped everyone stay cool outside and they also served as mementos from the day.

Guests were welcomed into an inviting and intimate atmosphere with the set up at the wedding stage. Instead of being placed in straight lines, the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle. This allowed guests to share in all parts of the ceremony. 

Summoning their inner crafty gurus, these two made use of existing items on the property very well. A vintage clothing rack magically transformed into a seating card display with the help of some crepe paper and creativity.  It became a beautiful and functional focal point in the gallery that reflected the overall theme of the day.

To add ambiance, Ana and Gina draped round bulb lights throughout the gallery and forum. This made for some great sparkle late at night, but enhanced the room during the day, too.

  One of the best ideas was converting our wood armoire in the forum into a dessert buffet. A homemade bunting, crocheted flowers, and photos of the happy couple made this more than just any old dessert table. Colorful treats were tucked away among mason jars filled with wildflowers. Tissue paper flowers and mini lanterns added a bit of whimsy to each shelf, too. All the elements came together and enhanced the most important part of all: the wedding cake!

 Ana and Gina had many creative ideas for their wedding, but to make them a reality, they enlisted the help of their wedding planner, Elisa Suter. She was able to use existing items to solidify a theme that was carried through the entire wedding.

Here are other talented vendors that helped to make the weekend magical:

Wedding Planner- Events by Elisa
String Trio- Ocdamia Strings
DJ- DJ Wong
Photographer- Kaysha Weiner
Caterer- Silvia Stover
Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Phil's BBQ
Florist- Carlota Garcia, friend
Cake- San Diego Desserts
Cupcakes- Calculated Whisk
Ceremony MC- Paulina Davis, friend
Party Rental- Affair Party Rentals

Chris & Christy's Wedding

 Chris and Christy are a vintage match made in heaven. This lovely couple incorporated unique elements (check out the amazing brooch bouquet!) into their wedding and truly made the day their own. Take a look at some of our favorite photos, taken by the talented Stephanie Olvera. Enjoy!

Getting creative at Hidden Valley!

As some of you might know, Hidden Valley is the perfect place for family reunions, church getaways, weddings and more. We recently had a group of girls from a church stay at our property for a few days in order to bond and explore together. All the girls participated in many different team-building activities and discovered Hidden Valley's numerous gardens, plants and trees. The group then came together to create hand painted, customized signs that are now placed around our property identifying different plant life. In the picture below you can see one of the girls holding her handmade sign titled, "Fiona's Enchanted Garden." Why not stop by and paint your own? We would love to have you add your creative flair to our gardens and other outdoor areas!

DIY elements at Hidden Valley

     At Hidden Valley you can personalize all aspects of your wedding! Our chalkboard signs add a DIY touch to your special day and allow your creativity to shine. These boards are also perfect for writing down your wedding menu, as a festive guest book, or even to display a special message to guests when they arrive. You can use these boards as directional signs to inform  guests of important locations on our property, too. Summon your imagination and use colored chalk to match your theme. These stand alone boards are the perfect addition to a wonderful wedding at Hidden Valley!

The Self Heal School Women's Retreat

We have so many wonderful groups staying at Hidden Valley this summer. If you haven't heard of the Self Heal School of Herbal Studies, now's your chance! This organization focuses on learning about plants, plant medicines, and other practices that can enhance a person's health and well being. We're very excited to have them staying with us in August! Read on for more information about this wonderful organization:

21st Annual Women’s Retreat

Since 1989 Self-Heal School has been hosting annual events inviting women to come together to share and celebrate women’s healing arts. This year’s retreat will take place August 10-12 at the former residence of the late healer and teacher, Doctor Bernard Jensen, in the secluded foothills of Escondido. This 11-acre garden paradise boasts a pool and Jacuzzi, gardens and fruit trees, waterfalls, shady groves, open vistas, comfortable quarters and beautiful expansive common areas for group activities. The retreat offers women a chance to relax and be nurtured, to heal their body, mind and heart, and to renew and rejuvenate. Six delicious vegetarian meals are served.

Arriving on Friday, women settle in their quarters and get comfortable, swim in the pool, soak in the Jacuzzi, or walk the garden paths. Women are offered the choice of several workshops in each of five workshop periods. Friday night teachers introduce themselves and the workshops they’ll be offering such as dancing, art, singing and music therapy, transpersonal psychology, nutrition, and herbal and energy healing. Some of the workshop titles include: Your Wonderful Womb; Stress - how to use it to strengthen yourself; Herb Walk Around the Ranch; Intro to Human Design - making decisions in alignment with your life plan; Sounding and Singing Meditation; Marriage and Family Therapy in a Bottle; Taking Care of our Energy Bodies; Developing Abundance Consciousness; Self-Journeying with Music Therapy; and Creating Magic Wands. Other activities include an Herbal Spa Saturday afternoon, a Talent Show Saturday night and a Barter Faire on Sunday morning.

Jane Richmond, retreat coordinator, chooses great teachers for their knowledge, experience and enlightened awareness. Women attending these events experience renewed spirit, joy, laughter, new friendships and transformation, as well as learning self-healing arts that they can use in their everyday life and share with others.

Cost: $345 assigned bed, $315 bring a cot or mat. Pay in full by July 27 to receive a $50 Early Bird discount.

Self-Heal School, owned and operated by John Finch and Jane Richmond, also offers classes and workshops in local plant identification, shamanism, herbal medicine-making and therapies, holistic nutrition, aromatherapy, energy healing, and holistic herbal clinic operation.

Sharlene & David's Wedding

 It's been a busy few months here at Hidden Valley, but we wanted to stop amidst the chaos and bring you some gorgeous wedding photos of Sharlene & David. This couple was a joy to work with from start to finish. Just check out the photo of them walking along one of our paths! Visit First & Orange to see more photos of the happy couple enjoying their day and slicing pizza from David's very own Pizza Wagon. Congratulations, Sharlene and David!

Our inspiration shoot and virtual tour

Sometimes it is difficult to visualize exactly where everything is located on our property, so we teamed up with Here Comes the Guide to create a virtual 360 degree tour of our grounds. We decided to stage our own inspiration shoot in order to help future brides create their own Eco-friendly, DIY wedding at our property.

  First thing's first: our wedding stage. We wanted to use simple decorations to accent the ceremony site, so we chose something inspired by summer. A yellow lace trim was tied to each chair down the aisle, as well as to the stairs at the wedding stage altar to define the aisle. The color combination of lemon yellow and olive green was used to enhance the natural setting and give a pop of color against the white chairs we placed on the lawn. Simple, yet sweet!

   Next stop: Reception! We placed round tables on each tier overlooking the wedding stage. Cream colored linens were accented with silver buckets, filled with lemons and cream colored tulle. We wanted a fresh and summery feel, so we had to have mason jars filled with lemonade at each place setting. Sliced lemons, along with red and white striped biodegradable paper straws, were placed in each mason jar for extra fun. To top it all off, deep-hued green napkins were trimmed with our aisle ribbon and a silk marigold carnation to finish the look.

   When nature is the focus of your big day, then Hippocrates Circle is the perfect location. Our towering oak trees make for a visually stunning ceremony space any time of the year. For this outdoor area, we chose to do simple decorations so as not to compete with the surrounding nature. A cream colored burlap runner marked the aisle leading to the stage and small bows decorated each bench down the aisle. Ikea lanterns created a border with soft, glowing light. We used LED lights in particular, so there would be no fire hazards in such a heavily wooded area.

  Overall, our sweet, country style transformed the space without drawing attention away from the natural state of the property. Eco-friendly products and DIY ideas made for a fun celebration without harming the environment. Be sure to view our virtual tour and see our ideas come to life!

All photos by: David Lenhert 

The Clickery Inspiration Shoot

Here at Hidden Valley, we love Clickery Photography! Katie and Zack truly know how to capture life's important moments. From brides to grooms and everything in between, Clickery is as professional as it gets.

   With great photos from Michelle's recent nuptials, it's no wonder brides keep flocking to use their services. It's great to have a duo such as these two because they capture every detail of your wedding. Katie can be present for bridal shots and time with the girls, while Zack can focus on the groomsmen. With such a large property, one photographer can easily feel overwhelmed. However, with Katie and Zack, you never have to worry about missing that amazing wedding photo.

  We clearly love Clickery and all that they do, so we decided to enlist their services for an inspiration shoot. They are extremely familiar with our 11 acre grounds which made them efficient and knowledgeable about where to get the best photos. The final product was absolutely gorgeous- sun setting, vast angles, and picture perfect scenery.

  Katie and Zack are truly masters of the lens. Take a look!

Michelle & Tim's Wedding

   On Saturday, March 31, 2012, we were delighted to have Michelle and Tim exchange vows at Hidden Valley. Months of preparation, e-mails, and phone calls transformed into a beautiful event celebrating the love that these two share. 

   Michelle was wonderfully creative when planning her ceremony and reception on the property. We love how she used specific locations to enhance the experience for her guests. The celebration started at Hippocrates Circle beneath our gorgeous, towering oak trees. Our seating at Hippocrates Circle is arranged in the round, creating a connected and intimate ceremony for all who attended.  

   Once the ceremony was over, guests were ushered over to the wedding stage for a reception. Michelle chose to use the tiers for seating and even had a jazz band set up to entertain guests. Once everyone boogied, guests were then escorted through the grounds to the main house for cake and celebration!

     As a symbol of their love, Michelle, Tim, and their son, Nate, decided to plant a pomegranate tree to commemorate the beginning of their new family. We now have a wonderful, new addition to Hidden Valley that will continue to grow and flourish, much like their love for each other. 

  

Michelle's Vendors: 

Caterer - Arvie Alto, (760) 805-0875 

Additional serving staff - Kiel Brander (951) 907-8874

Cake - Cute Cakes  

DJ - Injoy Entertainment,  Jason (760) 473-9800 and Chad (858) 229-6467

Photography - Clickery Photography, Katie & Zack

Officiant - Reverend Pat Borsum   

Jazz Combo - Sandy Devito trio